


For 'Tis Naught But Bad Luck

by galaxiebot



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Humor, Fae & Fairies, Fluff and Humor, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Has Feelings, Humor, Inspired by The Witcher, M/M, Open Relationships, Part-Fae Jaskier | Dandelion, Porn, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, The Witcher Netflix Series Spoilers, Witchers Have Feelings (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:00:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxiebot/pseuds/galaxiebot
Summary: Geralt tumbles into a relationship with Jaskier, he doesn't really understand it, but he doesn't really mind it either. What he doesn't expect are the feelings that swell in his chest over his friend. The realization that despite how much Geralt wants to think he doesn't have emotions beyond anger hits him hard, he feels guilty when he hurts Jaskier and he's sad when Jaskier is gone. Geralt has to reconcile with how he's treated his friend, and ultimately, he just hopes that Jaskier will accept him despite his flaws.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 12
Kudos: 59





	1. To Fuck with a Puck

The first time anything happened between Geralt and Jaskier, Geralt had saved Jaskier’s life from a night wraith somewhere outside of Aedirn. Jaskier drew Geralt in close, an impish smile on his face and he called it a reward, a thank you. Geralt, who frightened even some of the most experienced women at the brothels, didn’t really think twice about it. He had never found himself picky over the lips of a man or woman, so when Jaskier dropped to his knees in front of Geralt, he let him get his pants off. 

It seemed to surprise Jaskier a little bit, but what made Jaskier actually address what had happened was Geralt dragging him to the bed to return the favor, which led to Geralt working Jaskier open on his fingers until he was begging for more. After they had finished, still flushed and pressed together, Jaskier picked his head up, a dazed look on his face. 

“Would you like to do that again sometime?” The question read, to Geralt, like a gauge. Jaskier wanted to know if this had been a fluke. Geralt thought it over for a moment, feeling Jaskier settle himself on Geralt’s chest. 

“Yes.” Geralt looked at Jaskier, watching the way his shoulders pulled in, the fresh blush that went across his cheeks and nose. Jaskier looked up, just briefly, his blue eyes shining in a way that Geralt had never seen. It wasn’t his usual bravado, instead, there was an excitement that seemed reserved for Geralt. Geralt had never seen someone look at him like that, and even if Jaskier acted warmer towards him than most humans, this felt different. It seemed to be reserved for only Geralt, and only at that moment. 

“Good to know.” Jaskier didn’t say anything else, and to Geralt’s surprise, he simply fell asleep after. Normally when they shared a room, Jaskier would ramble incessantly into the night, and while it sometimes bothered Geralt, Jaskier not running his mouth left Geralt feeling strange. 

The strangeness faded as quickly as Geralt’s consciousness did, and he woke to the sound of Jaskier humming. They gathered themselves then, pulling on clothes as Jaskier rambled about where he needed to go next, and after eating breakfast at the inn together, they went their separate ways. 

He and Jaskier typically ran into each other every few months, so Geralt didn’t think anything of it. He would find Jaskier again a few jobs later, singing in a tavern about the night wraith, beaming when he saw Geralt wander in. Geralt had to admit, the bard was a sight for sore eyes. He had spent the last week awake all night hunting an Alp which spent weeks terrorizing a village in the Blue Mountains. 

“Geralt of Rivia my dear friend, I’ve missed you.” Jaskier kept the same embellished tone he always used in public, sitting next to Geralt with ale a tankard of ale for him and wine for himself. Geralt glowered, as relieving as it was to see someone who actually wanted to see him, he also wished Jaskier would be quieter. 

“The Blue Mountains.” Geralt didn’t offer anything further, but Jaskier, to his surprise, lit up like a flintstone. Not much could really dull Jaskier, even Geralt’s demeanor. 

“Dealing with the alp then?” Jaskier lowered his voice now, holding onto his wine as he looked at Geralt. “I would love to hear the whole story, the last song I wrote about you has brought me quite a bit of fame.” 

“That song full of lies?” Geralt had heard it from other bards. He wouldn’t have known what it was about if it did not name him personally at the beginning. 

“Don’t be so strict, I only sought to improve the story.” Jaskier grinned, unfazed. “Besides, Geralt of Rivia, friend of humanity is surely better than being called Butcher of Blaviken, is it not?” 

Geralt grunted softly. He couldn’t really argue, even if he still felt the song was a lie. 

“Just be careful how you lie.” Geralt picked up his tankard and thanked the woman who set his food down in front of him. “You wouldn’t want to lose your fame as quickly as you’ve found it.” 

“Yes, yes, I will head your warning.” Jaskier laughed sipping on his wine. “More importantly Geralt, are you staying at the inn tonight?” 

“I had been planning to keep moving, why?” Geralt looked to Jaskier, though he had a feeling he knew what this was about. Jaskier set his drink down, smiling. 

“Well I was going to offer to let you stay with me, of course,” Jaskier said. Geralt had to admit, he rather admired this side of Jaskier. He spoke in code in such a casual way that Geralt never felt like others might catch on to their meaning if they eavesdropped on his conversations with the bard. It was one of the reasons Geralt had been drawn to him in the first place. Jaskier always managed to be more than a bard who could write a catchy tune. 

“I might be inclined to stay in that case.” Geralt looked down at his plate, he had spent the last four nights outside in the chill of the mountains. Sleeping inside, a warm body next to him, he could relent to the fact that he needed that. 

“Good,” Jaskier said, “though I’m insisting that you take a bath before I’m willing to share with you. You smell like you’re caked in monster dung again.” 

Geralt gave Jaskier a flat look, “more than likely it is actually monster intestines.” 

Jaskier grimaced, looking down at his wine, “why did you have to tell me that?” 

Geralt grinned back at Jaskier, he couldn’t help himself. He sort of reveled in making Jaskier question their friendship. To his surprise, Jaskier just chuckled back and downed the last of his wine. 

“I’ll heat the water for you. Third door on the left.” Jaskier then set his cup down and left. Geralt watched him, and after he ate, he had Roach taken into the stable at the inn. 

He carried his bag to Jaskier’s room, finding Jaskier dumping a bucket of steaming water into the tub. Jaskier took one look at Geralt and simply said, “I wasn’t kidding.” 

Geralt sighed, setting down his things, “it’s fine so long as it isn’t cold.” 

Jaskier nodded, and to Geralt’s surprise, he filled another bucket and sang a few bars. The water in the bucket quickly began to steam, and Jaskier dumped it into the tub. He then looked back at Geralt. 

“I trust you won’t tell anyone?” Jaskier then started to repeat the process. 

“No.” Geralt watched him for a moment. 

“Good.” Jaskier smiled and dumped another steaming bucket into the tub. 

Geralt simply stripped his armor off, finding his clean clothes before he removed the dirty underclothes. He’d always known that Jaskier was a bard, of course, Jaskier called himself one. He hadn’t realized that Jaskier had meant he could truly use music to do magic. Either way, Geralt didn’t really feel the need for further explanation, he understood having secrets. 

He got into the tub, pleased that it was warm, and let Jaskier continue to dump water over his head until he actually seemed clean, at which point, Jaskier crouched down next to the tub. 

“You do realize that you are covered in bite marks, yes?” Jaskier had his head in his hand, looking Geralt over with eyes that gave away his intentions for the night. Geralt had figured Jaskier wanted him to be clean for more than just sharing a bed. 

“That’s what happens when you fight alps.” Geralt leaned back against the tub, relaxing into the water with his eyes closed for now. Jaskier sighed quietly and got up, coming back a few moments later to rub something around Geralt’s wounds. 

“Sit still.” Jaskier admonished him when he jumped slightly. 

“What is that?” Geralt could smell the herbs, but it felt thick and strange when Jaskier rubbed it into his skin. It seemed to cool down the stinging from the bite marks though. 

“It’s chamomile balm, calm down.” Jaskier kept rubbing it into his skin, “I’m not trying to hurt you.” 

Geralt just grumbled in response, but let Jaskier keep going because it did help. He just would have liked some warning. Jaskier was thorough though, working the balm into his skins with soft hands and eventually rubbing some into the back of Geralt’s neck with his thumbs, massaging the spot gently. He said it was just to get the extra off, but honestly, the balm seemed to be gone long before Jaskier stopped. Maybe it was because Geralt had leaned into the feeling so readily. 

When he was dry and they had gotten rid of the water, Geralt pressed Jaskier back to the bed, wanting to return the care. Jaskier didn’t argue, but he did drag Geralt into a kiss, making sure he had the opportunity to do so before Geralt started to strip off his clothes. 

Jaskier smelled like rainwater and pine. Under the fragrance oils he always used, of course, but Geralt rather liked the way Jaskier smelled, once the smell from the oil had mostly faded. Geralt took his time, he had the opportunity to this time, leaving marks on Jaskier’s skin and finding the spots he could bite which made Jaskier squirm. His favorite part though was the way that Jaskier stopped talking, his voice got low and he was quickly reduced to noises like whimpers or whines. Forming words seemed hard for him, and Geralt liked knowing that he was the one who made Jaskier feel that way. 

“Geralt.” Jaskier sounded strained, Geralt’s name was about the only word he could form anymore. Of course, that was because Geralt now had his lips around Jaskier’s cock, sinking down slowly. Geralt set a pace that would infuriate even the most patient people, which meant Jaskier immediately started to beg for more. His heels dug into Geralt’s back, hands pawing at Geralt’s shoulders but not scratching, Jaskier never scratched at Geralt if he already had wounds. 

Geralt’s fingers found the bottle of oil, Jaskier had tossed it on the bed earlier so it would be close. Pouring a little out, Geralt pinned Jaskier’s hips down before he sunk a finger into him. It seemed enough to calm him down, some idea that Geralt was eventually going to fuck him, but it always seemed to bring Jaskier’s voice back beyond the begging. 

“I always forget how good you are at this.” Jaskier’s head and shoulders settled back on the bed, his hips rising just a little to follow Geralt’s mouth as he pulled away. “And you always stop too quickly.” 

Jaskier’s eyes rolled back as Geralt slipped another finger into him, watching his chest rise and fall faster as Jaskier pressed a hand over his mouth. He sometimes tried to be quiet, it never really worked. If Geralt told him honestly that he liked the way Jaskier sounded when he was like this, but Jaskier would use it against Geralt somehow. Jaskier already acted like a tease when he got the chance, Geralt didn’t need to give him more material. 

“Geralt…” Jaskier’s voice had gone up in pitch, his back arching off the bed slightly and Geralt knew he had Jaskier exactly where he wanted him. He turned his hand over, brushing his fingers over the same spot he’d been rubbing a moment ago. Jaskier’s jaw fell open, his eyes still lidded, but his brow furrowing as the desperation hit him. He squirmed against Geralt’s hold, his hands gripping Geralt’s shoulders hard as he moaned for Geralt again. 

“You’re not complaining anymore.” Geralt pressed his fingers deeper into Jaskier and then pulled them out, finding the bottle of oil again. Jaskier looked incensed for a moment, Geralt knew Jaskier only did it for performative reasons. That and he used bravado to cover up when he grew flustered. 

“You’re the one obsessed with making me complain.” There wasn’t any bite in Jaskier’s voice, rather it came out very matter of fact. It didn’t really bother Geralt though, Jaskier wasn’t wrong, he did like to get Jaskier like this whenever he could. 

Geralt responded by wrapping his hand around one of Jaskier’s thighs, pulling him closer and lining up so he could guide his cock inside of Jaskier. He stopped when he got just the head in, watching as Jaskier quickly turned back into a puddle for him. 

“More, please?” Jaskier’s eyes finally found Geralt’s again, before this Jaskier had avoided making eye contact. Now, Jaskier had a pout on his lips, and despite the desperate turn of his brows, he had an excited spark in his eyes. 

Geralt hummed, “I was just making sure you adjusted.” 

Jaskier’s eyes got big as Geralt sank the rest of the way inside him in a single, smooth motion. Even Geralt had to bite his lip, Jaskier always felt so warm and his body gave way to Geralt easily. Jaskier looked pleased too, his head falling back in ecstasy again and a moan coming from deep in his throat. 

“Gods I missed you, Geralt.” Jaskier’s eyes closed, his face blissful for a moment as Geralt leaned down to catch his lips again. Geralt started to move his hips once he’d caught Jaskier’s mouth, enjoying the way that Jaskier moaned and whimpered into the kiss. His arms hooked around Geralt’s neck, keeping him close even as they broke the kiss to breathe. Geralt’s lips found Jaskier’s neck, causing his eyes to light up again. 

Geralt always liked this, he liked the way Jaskier reacted so strongly to every little touch. 

“Ah! Don’t leave marks I can’t hide.” Jaskier twisted to try to protect his neck, he did this every time that Geralt bit him, even though he’d tighten up anytime that Geralt did. 

“I won’t. Calm down.” Geralt nipped and sucked at Jaskier’s skin, finding the spots that made him cry out in pleasure quickly. He did leave marks, but he made sure that they’d be easily hidden by Jaskier’s clothing. 

“Geralt.” Jaskier sounded almost like he growled, which startled Geralt long enough for Jaskier to roll them over. He didn’t hesitate to settle back down on Geralt’s cock, his hands on Geralt’s chest for support. “Too slow.” 

“That desperate?” Geralt watched Jaskier’s face twitch. The last time they’d done this, Jaskier had spent a few weeks in the arms of some woman in the court of Kerack, so Geralt had been the one with a sense of urgency. He was surprised by the way that Jaskier glowered at him. Geralt hadn’t really meant it in offense, so he settled his hands on Jaskier’s hips and encouraged him to move. 

Jaskier moaned, following Geralt’s hands and rolling his hips against Geralt’s. Every time Jaskier sank back down on Geralt, Jaskier looked like he’d been hit by lightning. One of Geralt’s hands found its way around Jaskier’s cock, he still had oil all over him, so he used it to wrap his fist around Jaskier and stroke. 

Geralt had never seen Jaskier like this, his eyes shut, mouth hanging open, and his hips completely losing any sense of rhythm Jaskier had maintained up until that point. Geralt hadn’t really had the opportunity to pull Jaskier apart the last time they’d had sex. Now, as Geralt watched Jaskier shiver and stutter as he came all over Geralt’s chest, he wanted to know what Jaskier looked like when he completely fell to pieces. 

That night though, he couldn’t help the startled way he came as he pumped his hips up into Jaskier who had devolved into nothing but moans and chanting Geralt’s name reverently.

When they both came down from the high, Jaskier carefully shifted, sliding off Geralt and getting up to clean himself. Though, it looked like he was having trouble standing, so Geralt followed to help hold him up before he cleaned himself off. 

Jaskier pressed in close when Geralt got back into the bed, a cat-like curl to his lips as he pulled Geralt in for another kiss. Then he tucked himself against Geralt’s chest, pulling the blankets over them, letting the quiet settle in. 

“Where are you headed next?” Jaskier’s voice was just a whisper, his eyes shut and his hand curled on Geralt’s chest. He’d relaxed almost completely. 

“I’ve heard word of a selkiemore plaguing a group of merchants.” Geralt let his fingers find Jaskier’s hair, just holding him closely for the moment. This felt very different from when the witchers at Kaer Morhen would sleep together for warmth, but he’d noticed it provided him the same comfort to have Jaskier’s weight on him. 

“I want to go with you.” Jaskier didn’t move, in fact, he seemed to grow still in anticipation of Geralt’s answer. 

“You’re welcome to follow.” Geralt felt Jaskier start breathing again, and he nodded against Geralt’s chest. “It might be miserable.” 

“We can be partners in misery.” Jaskier hummed softly as he said it, “what’s more inspiring to a bard than melancholy?” 

“I wouldn’t know.” Geralt watched the smile creep onto Jaskier’s face. 

“Well, I’ll have to show you.” Jaskier fell asleep shortly after that, his breathing going even and soft. Geralt stayed awake, watching the bard for a long while. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Jaskier proclaiming that he wanted to stay with Geralt made Geralt’s chest open. Like it had puffed up and the air had settled permanently in his ribs as it did sometimes shortly after he’d turned the tables in a fight. He’d never experienced this outside of battling with a monster, at least he didn’t think he had. 

It took him a long time to place it, but eventually, he came to the conclusion that he was feeling something. He didn’t quite understand what, and he knew he shouldn’t be feeling anything, so it left him puzzled until he fell asleep because he couldn’t think about it anymore. 

He woke to find Jaskier gone, but all his things including his lute still sat on the table in one corner of the room. Geralt found himself clothes, picking up his sword and settling with some water and a whetstone. By the time Jaskier wandered back in with food in his hands, Geralt had devolved into simply staring at Renfri’s brooch on his sword, taking it in and wondering about the way he’d felt the night before. He remembered running into something similarly strange with her that he did with Jaskier. 

“That decorative piece on that sword is rather nice.” Jaskier set down the tray of food he was holding and settled into a chair next to the table. Geralt shook out of his thoughts, setting the sword aside once he’d dried it off. He hummed at Jaskier in agreement though. “Is it special in some way? Magic?” 

“No.” Geralt sat down with Jaskier to eat. 

Jaskier stared at him for a moment, “you were staring at it rather intensely.” 

“I was thinking about the person I got it from.” Geralt picked up a hand pie and made sure not to look at Jaskier. He didn’t really want to talk about this too much further at the moment. 

“Ah.” Jaskier was looking at the sword and then he looked back to the food. “I understand.” 

To Geralt’s surprise, he left it alone after that. Though, he began to chatter as he often did. That bothered Geralt a lot less after he’d gotten a good night of rest, so he even responded here or there to Jaskier. 

Jaskier seemed pleased about that development, doing his best to joke as they walked in hopes of getting Geralt to laugh. Geralt kept his face straight even if something Jaskier said was humorous, the effort Jaskier had to put in seemed to keep him entertained as they walked. Honestly, it helped pass the time for Geralt as well, he would just never admit to it. 

By the time Jaskier was strumming his lute and singing as they walked, Geralt couldn’t really be bothered to ask him to stop. While he valued the quiet, at some point he had to admit that it wasn’t fair to tell a bard he couldn’t practice. They camped in the woods that night, and while Jaskier was quiet while they ate whatever food they had on them, he seemed to grow nervous once the sun went down. 

“Are you sure we don’t have a tent with us?” Jaskier looked to Geralt in the light of the fire. Geralt sighed, looking down at the fire. 

“No, we do not have a tent with us.” Geralt could see the slight twitch of Jaskier’s hands, the way he began to drum his fingers on his leg. “Did you expect me to have a tent?” 

“Yes, most people don’t sleep on the ground with nothing to protect them when they’re out in the woods at night.” Jaskier stopped drumming his fingers, looking around the darkened wood. “Anything could be out there.” 

“Trust me, anything that could kill you out here could get through the fabric wall of a tent,” Geralt said. Jaskier frowned at him, crossing his arms and looking around nervously. 

Another strange sensation came over Geralt then, watching Jaskier’s nervous eyes and tapping foot, Geralt started to feel his own shoulders slump. The blood rushed down his arms and chest, hitting his stomach and settling there. He looked down at his hands a moment, and then at the trees which were lit by their small fire. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous nearby, not that he could sense or smell, so he couldn’t place why he started to feel off. 

When he looked back at Jaskier, he still looked frightened and it occurred to Geralt then that he had likely made it worse, which only seemed to make the quiver in his stomach stronger. 

“I was only kidding,” Geralt said. 

Jaskier frowned, “it wasn’t a good joke.” 

Geralt sighed and rubbed his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “our bedrolls will be right next to each other, we’ll be fine.” 

“Fine.” Jaskier didn’t look completely convinced. When it came time to sleep, Geralt put him closer to the embers leftover from their fire, settling himself on Jaskier’s other side. 

“See, now if anything comes for us, it will go for me first because you’re next to the fire.” Geralt pulled his blanket over his shoulder. 

Jaskier scoffed, “yes, giant monsters, they’re known for being terrified of some simmering coals.” 

Geralt sighed, rolling over to face Jaskier and pulling him in close before Geralt wrapped an arm over him. He felt Jaskier stiffen and relax, turning so that his back was against Geralt’s chest. 

“Okay, this is slightly better.” Jaskier trembled for a while still, but eventually, he fell asleep. Geralt waited until he did before he closed his eyes. 


	2. Commits Every Treason

Geralt found himself alone despite the quickly growing crowd around him, which normally wouldn’t bother him, but he’d grown used to having Jaskier to act as a buffer between him and the humans around him. Jaskier, though, had refused to enter the town that Geralt was currently in because he’d pissed off the lord of this area. He wouldn’t give Geralt specifics of how, or why, and Geralt was fairly certain after this had happened several times in other places, that he did not want to know. 

He just didn’t anticipate the people of the town being particularly hostile towards Witchers though, and now he found himself sort of wishing that Jaskier had joined him. Not that he wanted to admit that to himself, even as the crowd enclosed on Geralt and he heard more voices in the overwhelming swarm. Geralt pressed closer to Roach, gripping the head of his most recent kill. 

Then he heard someone shout, “Butcher of Blaviken” over the crowd and he found the anger rising into his throat. 

He tried to see who it was that said it, but just as he set his eyes on a man yelling it over and over with an exceptional amount of vitriol, Geralt felt someone’s hands on his arm. Geralt tried to jerk away, but the woman, waifish with blue-ish gray eyes, held him tighter. 

“There you are.” Her voice sounded familiar in a way that Geralt couldn’t place, her long brown hair falling over her shoulders in the slightest wave. “I’ve been looking for you, let me show you to my contact.” 

With that, she started to tug Geralt through the crowd of people, shouting for them to get out of their way. While Geralt was wary of her, he wasn’t exactly mad, especially once she managed to get them out of the crowd and down the street. Something felt familiar about her though, in her hair and the way that she smelled. He just couldn’t place it. 

He waited until they’d gotten back into the woods outside of town, dropping the head of his kill in a ditch because he was sick of carrying it. 

“Do I know you?” He looked her over again, he might have met her when she was young. That was the only guess he had at the moment. 

Her smile grew impish as she leaned towards him, looking up at Geralt as if they were playing a game, “what? You haven’t figured it out yet Geralt?” 

Geralt took a short step back, “how do you know my name?” 

“Well I think I originally heard your name before I met you, but it was attached to this awful title that I know you’re better than now.” The woman looked unfazed by anything that Geralt did, even as he reached for his silver sword. “Which was why I started trying to better your reputation. Oh come on, don’t pull your sword on me, have you really not figured it out?” 

It had started to dawn on Geralt, the dramatic gestures and lavish tone of voice. He narrowed his eyes though, trying to see if he could see through the magic, and even with a sharp inhale, this woman didn’t smell like Jaskier. 

“Prove it.” Geralt wasn’t about to let his guard down. 

The woman let out a dramatic sigh, which admittedly was a point towards believing her, and she bit her lip, thinking it over. 

“Well, we could talk about how much you genuinely enjoy getting fucked when given the opportunity, or—” 

“Nevermind I believe you.” Geralt didn’t need to do this at the moment. 

“Oh come on, I hardly got into all the reasons you should believe me,” Jaskier said, “there’s also how much you like it when I suck on your fingers, or—” 

“ _Jaskier_.” Geralt glared at him, taking Roach’s reins and starting further into the woods, “don’t we need to leave quickly?” 

“Hey now, you owe me one for once.” Jaskier followed Geralt, signing a couple of bars, and the illusion around the bag he carried dropped. He still looked like a woman, but his lute and pack looked as Geralt remembered them now. “Plus, this magic takes a lot, and I’m stuck like this for twelve hours. Just to help you.” 

Geralt sighed and rubbed his forehead, “what do you want?” 

“Just a little appreciation.” Jaskier had a tone to his voice that made Geralt want to smack him. He took a deep breath, trying to refocus himself because Jaskier wasn’t wrong. The way he was saying it just made Geralt want to hit him. He tried to remind himself that Jaskier had actually been very good to him and also in this moment, Jaskier was right, he had helped. 

“Thank you for helping me.” Geralt turned back to look at Jaskier. It was a bit uncanny, talking to Jaskier when he fully looked like a different person and smelled like one. 

“Of course Geralt,” Jaskier said, “I am here to help whenever you need me.” 

“Why did you do this, exactly?” Geralt furrowed his brow at Jaskier. 

Jaskier looked at him, now Geralt could see that he had the same eyes, “why did I help you?” 

“No, why’d you make yourself look like this to help me?” Geralt couldn’t really see the necessity. 

“Oh.” Jaskier shrugged, which was probably the least flamboyant response Geralt had ever gotten from him, “it was just the quickest way to disguise myself. The lord of that town would have killed me on sight.” 

“Yes, I’m aware.” Geralt shook his head a little, looking off into the woods. He didn’t quite understand why he didn’t like the way that Jaskier talked about whatever lover he’d had in that town, but he didn’t. So he just looked back at Jaskier, “and you just had those clothes.” 

“Ah, that’s the good thing about this magic,” Jaskier said, “it changes your clothes too. So this is what I had been wearing.” 

Geralt made a face at the muted frock and mouse-colored apron. Jaskier laughed. 

“I intentionally made it look less flashy,” he said, “didn’t want to be remembered.” 

“I didn’t know you would willingly compromise your reputation as most garish dressed for anyone.” Geralt looked back at the path they were walking along, only hearing the dramatic gasp that came from behind him. 

“Excuse me, I saved your life and this is how you treat me?” Jaskier met his stride now, frowning at Geralt, “what’s climbed into your armor and died?” 

Geralt looked down at Jaskier, “do you really think I couldn’t have made it out of that town without your help?” 

“I believe you could have.” Jaskier crossed his arms, “but certainly not without doing something that would make you feel terrible about yourself. And that you don’t deserve Geralt.” 

“Witchers don’t have feelings.” 

Jaskier scoffed, “well that’s the lie of the century, isn’t it?” 

“What?” Geralt looked down at Jaskier again, it only just occurred to Geralt that Jaskier was shorter than usual. 

“That thing about not having feelings. It’s a lie.” Jaskier looked annoyed now, for once Geralt had done something to tick him off in return. Which was sort of impressive, Jaskier seemed like the kind of person to have endless patience, even for Geralt. 

Geralt didn’t know what to say to him, watching as Jaskier got a few paces ahead on the pathway. His fingers seemed to still be able to play the lute just fine in that body, so he plucked as they walked and Geralt just dealt with it. He might have been too harsh. 

They eventually took a few steps into the woods, finding a small stream and setting camp near it. Roach drank happily and Geralt took his time brushing her down once he got his packs off her. If he was more honest, he’d admit to himself he did it to keep busy. He didn’t want to deal with Jaskier’s sour mood or the fact that Geralt caused it. 

To his surprise, Jaskier didn’t seem to be all that upset by the time Geralt walked back to their tent. He sat next to a fire he’d started, the sleeves of his dress rolled up as he tuned his lute. Geralt wasn’t going to get used to him being in this body. 

“When did you say you’d look like yourself again?” He asked, sitting down on a rock next to the fire. 

“Probably sometime in the morning.” Jaskier narrowed his eyes at Geralt, “why?” 

“This is weird.” Geralt just gestured at Jaskier, who then looked down at himself for a moment. 

“Oh.” Jaskier looked surprised for a moment. 

“What?” Geralt wasn’t sure if he _really_ wanted to know what was on Jaskier’s mind, but it was hard to deny that the look on his face had Geralt interested. 

“Well,” Jaskier looked down at his lute, “I sort of expected you to be more attracted to me like this and was going to tease you about it.” 

Geralt didn’t have a way to respond to that either, so instead, he just stared at Jaskier for a long moment. It wasn’t like Jaskier wasn’t nice looking in this body, he hadn’t purposefully made himself ugly. Geralt was just used to him as he is normally, even if he’s usually far overdressed for anything they’re doing and spends a lot of time fussing with his hair. Actually, the thought occurred to him that Jaskier would probably spend even more time fussing with his hair if it was always this long, and that already annoyed Geralt. 

“Stop staring at me like that.” Jaskier stuck his tongue out at Geralt, “hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re not supposed to stare at a lady like that.” 

“You’re not a lady,” Geralt said. 

“I am right now.” Jaskier nodded firmly and then set his lute aside, leaning towards Geralt, “are you still thinking of me as a man in your head?” 

“You didn’t tell me to think of you otherwise.” Geralt looked down at him, he felt as though Jaskier was doing that thing women sometimes did where they’d purposefully lean in to show off their breasts. He’d never liked it much, usually, it was followed by a lot of flattery in an attempt to goad Geralt into bed with them, only to find themselves getting scared at the sight of his scars and leaving him alone for the night. 

Jaskier pulled back though, his eyes still narrow, “I guess there’s something admirable in that.” 

“Why do you still seem skeptical of me?” Geralt looked back at the fire now, poking it so it would get a little higher and adding some wood. 

“Because you seem completely uninterested in me like this,” Jaskier said, “it’s just not what I expected.” 

“Why did you think I would be more interested in you like this in the first place?” Geralt kept his eyes on the fire, but he could see Jaskier’s shape shrug. 

“I guess I figured you were probably more interested in women overall,” Jaskier said it simply enough, but Geralt could hear a weird edge in his voice. Even if his voice was slightly different now, Geralt could still follow Jaskier’s mood just by the lack of bravado. 

“I’m not picky.” Geralt stoked the fire, still trying to avoid looking directly at Jaskier. At least the sun was starting to set. 

“Ah, it's convenient then.” The words were soft enough that Geralt wonders for a moment if Jaskier intended for him to hear. He took a moment to decide if he wanted to pretend he didn’t. Jaskier’s voice still sounded off in a way that made Geralt uneasy. It was decidedly Jaskier, that wasn’t the issue now, instead, he felt like Jaskier’s mood was slumping and Geralt didn’t know why. Usually, it came with an obvious thing that Geralt had done to cause it. This one didn’t. 

“Jaskier, nothing about you is convenient.” Geralt looked up at Jaskier, and the moment he saw his eyes he knew he’d said the wrong thing. Jaskier looked more off than Geralt had expected. He didn’t know what else to do, so he just finished his thought, “I wouldn’t deal with you if I didn’t want you around.” 

Jaskier’s expression suddenly changed and then his brow furrowed, “that’s even more confusing.” 

“I don’t know what you find so confusing.” Geralt blinked at him and Jaskier seemed to relax. 

“Nevermind,” he said, “I think I’m letting my mind get ahead of me.” 

“Do you need a distraction?” While Geralt admittedly didn’t want Jaskier any more or less when he was in this body as opposed to his usual body, he did know that sometimes the best thing to fix Jaskier’s mood was attention. Geralt didn’t mind giving it to him, even if it was going to be a little bit strange like this. 

Jaskier’s face turned a shade Geralt had never seen and then he pouted, “I’ve never had sex.” 

Geralt blinked at Jaskier, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, Geralt had no idea how to even remotely respond to that statement. 

Jaskier bristled and shook his head, his face now a dark shade of red and his hair flopping about as he shook his head, “don’t look at me like that, I meant in this body! I’ve never had sex while using this spell.” 

“Oh,” Geralt said, “well do you… how does that work?” 

“I do,” Jaskier says, “This isn’t an illusion, this is my body in a different form.”

Geralt watches as Jaskier makes wild gestures and gives him a moment to calm down. 

“Well, aren’t you curious?” Geralt can’t help but ask because now he is. 

Jaskier froze solid and then mumbled. “I am, but so many women say it hurts.” 

“That is true.” Geralt had no response to that, Jaskier had probably been with more women than him. At least women who would speak to him about things like that. Geralt’s certain that even Renfri wouldn’t have talked to him about sex that way. 

“Well.” Jaskier awkwardly shifted his skirt and stood, “we might as well eat something if we’re staying here for the night.” 

Geralt watched Jaskier try to walk to the pack of food they had settled against a tree, only to watch him nearly face plant after tripping over the skirt. Jaskier huffed softly and picked up the skirt, stomping towards the tree only to sink the heel of his boot into the mud where it stuck. He promptly dropped to his knees letting out a dramatic groan. 

“Why are these clothes so awful?” Jaskier continued to whine for a moment, so Geralt just stood up. 

“I’ll make dinner,” Geralt walked past him, picking up the pack of food, “you’re an awful cook anyway.” 

Jaskier pouted at him, “rude! My cooking isn’t _that_ bad, plus now you’re treating me like I’m useless.” 

“You just got stuck in the mud and it caused you to completely fall apart.” Geralt pulled a couple of fish from the bag. They had cleaned and scaled them earlier in the day before Geralt had gotten trapped by the mob, so they would go bad if they didn’t eat them. Geralt sat by the fire again, finding a few sturdy branches to clean with his sword so he could spear the fish. 

Jaskier only glowered at him, pulling his foot out of the mud and joining Geralt at the fire again. 

“I didn’t fall apart,” he said firmly. 

Geralt looked at him, “sure.” 

Jaskier pouted now, and he pulled out their bag of salt, sprinkling some on the fish which Geralt readied the branches. They were quiet for a while, Jaskier just eating around the bones of his fish and tossing the head into the fire at some point. He was also eating some of the dried fruit they had, but Geralt didn’t bother with that. Plus he wanted something for the morning. 

“I’m going to sleep.” Jaskier rubbed the side of his neck under the trap of his dress, “I can’t wait to take this off, it’s uncomfortable.” 

Jaskier pawed at the back of the corset he was wearing, his fingers trying to find the laces. Honestly, something about this made Geralt want to pat him on the head, but instead, he tapped Jaskier on the shoulder. 

“Here.” Geralt got Jaskier to turn around, tugging the laces of the corset out from under his skirt and untying them. 

“Thank you.” Jaskier sighed and slipped the corset off, “that feels so much better.” 

Geralt just hummed, watching Jaskier as he crawled into the tent then, sitting on the edge as he took off his boots. It was still strange, Jaskier didn’t look like himself, but something about the way he moved and talked and hummed was so obviously the usual way he acted that Geralt felt completely at ease. 

For a moment, he wondered if that was a bad thing, Geralt didn’t have a reason to believe this really was Jaskier that was with him now. Even with what he had said earlier, technically that was something an imposter could learn from Jaskier. Though, Geralt had the distinct feeling that Jaskier, despite his flaws, wouldn’t give an imposter something that would earn Geralt’s trust. 

“Are you coming or are you just going to stare at me?” Jaskier slipped the skirt he was wearing off, leaving him in just his shirt as he disappeared into the tent. 

Geralt rolled his eyes and scattered the fire, taking off his boots before he got into the tent with Jaskier. Jaskier, for once, was curled up on one side of the pad, his eyes already shut and his long hair pulled over his shoulder. Usually, he would spread himself out in as much space as possible and cling to Geralt the moment he was in the tent. Now he laid perfectly still on one side of the tent, his breathing slowing as he might already be asleep. 

“Tired?” Geralt stripped his pants off, looking at Jaskier with a concerned eye again. This was unusual for him, and that creeping feeling that this person isn’t Jaskier crawled up his spine again. 

“The magic took it out of me.” Jaskier turned his eyes on Geralt, a sudden plea for Geralt’s attention. The creeping feeling in Geralt’s spine went away, every time he looked at Jaskier’s eyes it was obvious that this was him. Geralt just hoped he didn’t get himself stabbed over it. He reached out, slipping an arm around Jaskier’s middle like Geralt often did and he pressed his face into Jaskier’s hair. 

Jaskier smelled like birch and river stone now, it was strange, somehow it felt in the same family as the way he normally smelled. Geralt settled in that feeling, he didn’t like the feeling of not being able to wholly trust Jaskier, he was so often the only person that Geralt could trust. 

Thankfully, Geralt didn’t have to think about it much longer, because Jaskier fell into a deep sleep. Deep enough that Geralt could move Jaskier around without him waking, so he shifted Jaskier’s head off Geralt’s arm and onto a bundle of clothes instead. Then Geralt closed his eyes, slowing his breathing until he fell asleep as well. 

He woke to the sound of a fire and the smell of more fish cooking. When Geralt got his pants on and moved himself to the front of the tent to pull on a pair of boots, Jaskier had just picked up one of the fish that he’d speared over the fire to check it. He looked like Jaskier again too, which made the final edges of Geralt’s unease finally give way to the comfort of being alone with Jaskier. Geralt hadn’t realized how much he’d come to appreciate the security that came with traveling with Jaskier. 

“What are you looking at now?” Jaskier set the fish back on the flame as he looked back at Geralt. 

“Nothing.” Geralt got his boots on and sat on the log near the fire to warm his hands. Jaskier watched him for a moment and then continued to tend the fish. 

After a while, when Jaskier had handed off one of the fish to Geralt, Geralt looked at him and said, “I’m glad you’re back to normal.” 

“Oh is that all?” Jaskier turned the fish again and glanced at Geralt, “well, I’m glad I could oblige your preferences.” 

“I don’t really think it’s a preference.” Geralt started to pull the fish apart with his fingers. “I like it more when I know it’s you.” 

Jaskier looked back at Geralt now, his eyes bearing down on Geralt in a way that he didn’t like. Usually, Jaskier reacted to things like that with a quip, suddenly the nature of their conversation seemed to change. 

“When you know it’s me?” Jaskier asked. 

“Yes.” Geralt looked at Jaskier, but he seemed to want an explanation, so Geralt added, “I know you’re safe.” 

Jaskier hummed softly, “I think I know what you mean.” 

He left it at that, digging into his fish and staying quiet until he was finished. When he got up, he started to pack their things, humming something. 

“There’s still a selkiemore we’re looking for, right?” Jaskier stood with the fabric of the tent under one arm, looking at Roach. 

“Yes.” Geralt had settled near the fire with his whetstone and sword after he’d finished eating. There was still blood on it from the kill he didn’t get paid for back in town. 

“So the sea then,” Jaskier said, “sounds nice.” 

Geralt looked up, his brow furrowed as he found Jaskier looking up into the trees. For a moment, just a small moment, Geralt could see the glow of some magic he was using, the tune he hummed seemed to aid it. Then, all at once, the glow seemed to come to a point at the center of Jaskier’s back and stop altogether. 

Then Jaskier went about getting the tent back on Roach. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very unplanned drop, but I wanted to get this out!


	3. So Tell Me Love

Geralt lost track of Jaskier after hastily leaving Cintra to avoid Calanthe's wrath. He expected to find him somewhere nearby, but as Geralt paused for a night or two at inns, he couldn't seem to find the bard. Geralt briefly wondered if Jaskier had gotten thrown in the dungeon because he was the one who brought Geralt to the party. 

That thought left Geralt feeling restless at night, and as his money ran out and he still hadn't found Jaskier again, he found himself feeling the cold of the oncoming winter. There wasn't much he could do, and he would run into Jaskier again, Geralt always did. Going all the way to Kaer Morhen without Jaskier in tow somehow made him worry that Jaskier wouldn't be safe through the winter. 

He shook the feeling off as he packed up Roach after spending a final night in an inn outside of Cintra. Geralt had found himself in an inn he and Jaskier used to frequent if they had planned to head up North. I had a small tavern, and the innkeeper always liked having Jaskier around because he drew people in. Enough that she turned a blind eye to the witcher that traveled with him. 

Geralt got the woman's attention before he left, and to his surprise, she didn't shrink in fear, "can I ask a favor?" 

"That depends on what it is," she said, crossing her arms. 

"Can you let the bard know that I'm looking for him? If he comes here." Geralt set down his last few crowns. "You can let him know I've gone North for the winter." 

The innkeeper took the crowns and nodded, "I can do that." 

Geralt got on Roach after that, heading up to Kaer Morhen. Being alone felt very odd now, and Geralt didn't realize the way that he'd withered by the time Eskel was meeting him at the walls of the school. He let Eskel pull him into a tight hug, taking Roach into the stables before he went to see Vesemir. 

"You look like shit." Lambert stood in the stable, and he'd obviously not changed at all since they'd all been gone. 

"And you still haven't made a name for yourself in all these years," Geralt said, "no wonder you look healthier than the rest of us." 

Lambert scoffed, "oh, I'm sorry, I don't have bard running around singing about how I'm a gift to humanity." 

Geralt felt his nostrils flare. He hadn't thought about the fact that Jaskier's fame would have eventually reached the other witchers. 

"That's not why I have a reputation." Geralt glared at Lambert as he got his pack and swords off of Roach. He started to take the saddle off her as well. She needed the break, he could tell. 

"It's certainly helping," Lambert said, "I mean if I had a bard following me around like a lost puppy, I would be–" 

"You might not want to finish that sentence," Geralt snapped, "otherwise I might throw you over the balcony when you get drunk tonight." 

Lambert looked startled, "I can't believe the great Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde has gotten rather sensitive in his age."

Geralt rolled his eyes. "Lambert, I'm already sick of talking to you." 

He left the stable, listening to Lambert laugh and shout something about being happy things were the same as always. Geralt didn't respond, heading up to his room because he wanted to take a bath. Unfortunately for him, Vesemir found him, meaning he got dragged into a tedious conversation about ghouls. 

"You've made quite the name for yourself all the sudden." Vesemir crossed his arms, and he had the same look on his face that he did whenever he could tell Geralt hadn't really been listening to him. "By the sounds of that song, you've at least found quite the friend in the bard." 

Geralt just hummed, nodding slightly. He didn't really want to talk to anyone, especially if they would keep bringing up Jaskier. 

Vesemir leveled Geralt with a knowing look, "I'm surprised he's not with you this winter." 

"We lost track of each other after I was last in Cintra," Geralt said. 

"I heard about that." Vesemir sighed, "you're lucky Calanthe didn't kill you on the spot." 

Geralt shrugged, "I'm not worried about it. I'm not going to collect, and I didn't even mean it in the first place." 

Vesemir hummed, "we'll see how that goes for you. That's how Eskel got that scar after all." 

"I know." Geralt nodded and promptly left in hopes of staying away from all three of them for a while. 

He managed to have some time alone, sitting in warm water as he stared at the ceiling. Geralt had gotten used to Jaskier warming the water for him, so it wasn't quite as warm as he would like, nor did he have Jaskier dumping buckets on his head. Geralt didn't miss that part. 

Eventually, he settled in to being at Kaer Morhen again. It was the closest thing he had to a home, and as he spent time with the few other witchers there. He at least got to spend time with Eskel, who didn't at all bring Jaskier up and just wanted to swap stories about monsters. It wasn't until he found himself lying next to Eskel while he was sound asleep that Geralt realized all of this felt different. 

He could just barely sense that something was off at first, and he spent a few days thinking about it, watching the others, training with Vesemir. Geralt couldn't find the reason, but it was like he wasn't sleeping even though he slept each night. He woke up tired every day, and while he could still best Eskel and Lambert in a fight easily, Geralt felt like his senses weren't getting sharper the way they typically did when he spent time in Kaer Morhen. 

Geralt didn't have the chance to think about it too much, though. He found himself busy when Triss showed up in her room one day, looking for help with something. This meant he and Eskel had to keep her and Lambert from killing each other and needed to go into the forest to look for monsters to get her parts for a spell. 

Triss had been helpful to them all in the past, so they helped as much as they could. Of course, Geralt participated mostly because he found the way Triss and Lambert got under each other's skin comical. 

Plus, it took his mind off the fact that he felt constantly tired. Usually, just a week with the other witchers at Kaer Morhen was enough to pick him up. The implications made his chest tighten in a way he didn't like, and the crawling feeling which would ascend his spine whenever he spent too long on the topic made Geralt want to run. He didn't know where to. He just wanted to run.

Triss was a good distraction at that, dragging Geralt into her bed once or twice. It was early in the morning after he'd spent the night with her that he heard a commotion in the courtyard which mostly amounted to panicked yelling from a voice that sounded oddly familiar to Geralt. Even muffled, he felt like he knew it. 

As he pulled on his clothes, leaving Triss in bed as she hummed a soft protest, Geralt quickly made his way down to see what was happening, only to find Lambert dragging Jaskier through the courtyard. Eskel had Jaskier's lute in hand, and while they weren't actively hurting him, Jaskier did look rather panicked about the situation. 

"Listen! I really wasn't doing anything. I was trying to send a message!" Jaskier tried to clamber to his feet, but Lambert tightened his grip on Jaskier's arm. It must have hurt because Jaskier instantly doubled over into the snow. 

"Is this Geralt's bard?" Lambert was asking as Geralt made his way out as quickly as he could. 

"If it is, I'm sure he'll be here in a moment." Eskel briefly made eye contact with Geralt in one of the narrow windows on the stairs. 

"Please don't break my arm." Jaskier sounded so pathetic that Geralt felt something light up in his chest. He'd spent so much time trying to keep Jaskier out of trouble. He couldn't believe Jaskier had managed to get himself in trouble with Eskel and Lambert. 

"Let him go, Lambert." Geralt pushed into the courtyard, and to his surprise, Lambert dropped Jaskier immediately. Of course, Jaskier simply fell into the snow and cradled his arm. When he picked himself up, though, he did glare up at Lambert over it. 

"He was trying to cast a spell outside the wall." Eskel held up the lute, "we weren't really sure if we should trust his story." 

"I told you I was only trying to let Geralt know I was here!" Jaskier stood and huffed, brushing the snow off himself. Honestly, he looked the most a mess Geralt had ever seen him as if he had walked all the way to Kaer Morhen on his own. 

"Jaskier, calm down." Geralt took the lute from Eskel. 

"We didn't know if he was really the bard that had been following you around," Lambert said, "didn't know that one could do magic." 

"He can." Geralt said, "it's not the sort of thing everyone runs around telling people like Eskel does." 

"Hey, how did I become the target of your ire?" Eskel crossed his arms, looking up towards Triss's room. 

"Well, if he turns out to be a mage in disguise trying to kill us all, he's your responsibility then." Lambert crossed his arms. Jaskier, who looked haggard, sort of had a look on his face like he was contemplating hitting Lambert. 

"Come on." Geralt offered Jaskier his lute back just as Vesemir appeared at the courtyard door, Triss a few steps behind him. 

"Ah, Jaskier, I take it?" Vesemir shook Jaskier's hand when Jaskier confirmed, and then he shot Geralt a strange look the moment Jaskier had turned back to Geralt. 

To Geralt's surprise, Triss lit up when she saw Jaskier, and Jaskier did in turn. 

"Triss! I didn't know this is where you were." Jaskier hugged her when she jumped into his arms. Geralt already had so many questions. 

"I didn't realize you were going to be coming to Kaer Morhen," she said, "but I guess I should have figured that out with Geralt being here." 

"Well, I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Mousesack." Jaskier looked at Geralt briefly, "by the way, I wouldn't go back to Cintra any time soon." 

"I wasn't planning on it." Geralt turned away from Vesemir, who seemed like he wanted to say something, but he wasn't talking for whatever reason. 

"You're staying here for a bit then?" Triss had her arms around one of Jaskier's now, dragging him towards the kitchen, so Geralt just followed them. "I'm leaving for Temeria soon. We need to catch up before I go." 

Geralt lost track of their conversation there, following them until Triss went back to her room, and Jaskier looked at Geralt. He leveled Geralt with a look that made Geralt's skin crawl for a moment, and then Jaskier smiled, taking his lute back. 

"Thank you for saving me from the rest of the witchers." Jaskier looked at the lute to check it over. "I was worried they were going to smash this." 

Geralt hummed, "they probably would have if I hadn't caught them." 

He started to walk towards his room, waving for Jaskier to follow him. 

"That would have been a sorry end for such a beautiful instrument." Jaskier kept in step with Geralt, just following him like he often did. 

"It would have." Geralt mostly said it because it seemed like what Jaskier would want to hear, "do you want a bath?" 

Jaskier's eyes lit up, "yes, please. It's been weeks." 

Geralt looked back at Jaskier, startled, "weeks?" 

"There aren't a lot of places one can stop to take a bath between Kaer Morhen and the town furthest to the North before you hit the forest." Jaskier gestured dramatically with his hands as he spoke, following Geralt into his bedroom. Geralt already had a tub there, so it seemed far easier, plus he had good reason to believe that Jaskier was going to end up staying with him anyway. 

Jaskier immediately started to strip, so Geralt began to fill the tub for him. Of course, despite the water being warm, Jaskier stood over it and sang a few bars so that the water would immediately start to steam. He then very unceremoniously dropped himself into it. 

"Gods, this is better than sex." Jaskier promptly sank all the way down to his nose, humming softly. 

"Soap." Geralt dropped the bar into the water with Jaskier, sitting down on a bench nearby. Jaskier promptly scooped it up, starting to scrub himself down. "You walked here. You didn't think to buy a horse?"

"Not everyone has the money to buy horses willy-nilly, Geralt." Jaskier had the soap to his nails, using it to get out all of the dirt. It was going to ruin the soap, but Geralt didn't really mind. 

"Still," Geralt said, "I looked for you for a while after Cintra." 

Jaskier got the most cocky smile on his face, "you were looking for me? When did you get to be so sentimental?" 

Geralt shot him a glare and didn't respond. Mostly because he couldn't really get around the fact that Jaskier was right, he was looking for Jaskier because he'd gotten used to traveling with him. 

"Calanthe definitely tried to throw me in the dungeon," Jaskier said, "momentarily, Mousesack promptly convinced her that it wasn't my fault." 

Geralt hummed, "that's good. You wouldn't have done well in a dungeon." 

"You're telling me." Jaskier scoffed and leaned his head into the water so he could start washing his hair. "For a bit, I feared I might be facing your wrath as well." 

"What?" Geralt furrowed his brow, watching as Jaskier moved awkwardly, trying not to make eye contact with Geralt. 

"I thought you might blame me for all of that." Jaskier laughed, "so I maybe gave you time to cool off. I didn't expect you to have left me a message." 

"Oh." Geralt shook his head a little bit, "I hadn't thought to blame you for it." 

"I realized you must not have once I got to that inn we used to stay at." Jaskier looked at Geralt carefully, "which is why I hiked myself all the way up here. Only to have my lute nearly destroyed again." 

Geralt chuckled, walking over to pick up a bucket of warm water so he could pour it over Jaskier's head to help with the soap in his hair. Jaskier stilled, allowing Geralt to pour the water over his head and then shaking it out a bit. 

"Sorry," Geralt said, "that was part of the reason I tried to find you before heading up here." 

Jaskier hummed softly, "you really wanted me to come with you?" 

"We'd been traveling together up until then." Geralt felt like Jaskier would keep pressing this, but to his surprise, Jaskier simply smiled and sunk into the water. 

"It's good to see you." Jaskier opened his eyes and looked up at Geralt, a more clear smile coming across his face. Softer now that he wasn't acting cheeky. "I've missed you, my friend." 

Geralt rolled his eyes, reaching out to run his fingers through Jaskier's hair because it was hanging strangely. "I had a feeling you would say that." 

Jaskier's eyes opened, only half, languidly looking up at Geralt. 

"What?" Geralt looked down at him, watching the smirk grow on Jaskier's face. 

"You act as if you didn't miss me as well." Jaskier's bravado was back. "Then again, maybe you didn't if you were with Triss when I arrived." 

"Are you mad?" Geralt raised an eyebrow at Jaskier, "jealousy is unusual for you." 

Jaskier laughed, "no, I simply wanted to see if you would try to lie to me." 

"Why would I bother?" Geralt asked, "it's not as if you don't make rounds through the courts whenever we're not together. I wouldn't be surprised if that's how you know Triss in the first place." 

"No, as a man of magic looking to keep as far away from the Brotherhood of Sorcerers as I can—" Jaskier looked down at his nails and then began to scrub them again, "—I tend to avoid the sorceresses to ensure I'm not found out." 

"Do you really think they haven't noticed you can do magic?" Geralt asked, "that Triss or another sorceress isn't sharp enough to have figured it out?" 

Jaskier hums softly, "they probably are. That's why I make sure not to give them a reason to look that hard." 

Geralt hummed, "you can pretend you're smart enough to play the fool, but I know you far too well for that, Jaskier." 

"Rude." Jaskier feigned offense for a moment and then turned in to press close to Geralt without getting out of the bathtub. "But you did miss me, didn't you?" 

"Do you want me to say yes?" Geralt watched Jaskier laugh, letting him pull Geralt closer by his shirt. 

"Absolutely." Jaskier kissed Geralt's jaw, "but I know you never would. Witcher's don't have feelings, right?" 

"That's right." Geralt took Jaskier's jaw in hand to actually kiss him. 

"You lie to yourself well, Geralt." Jaskier chuckled softly against his lips, and Geralt just rolled his eyes. 

"Don't start with that again." Geralt held Jaskier still for a moment, catching the humor in his eyes. 

"Fine," Jaskier said, "I won't." 

"Good." Geralt pulled away from Jaskier, "get out of the water." 

Jaskier pouted, "why don't you get in the water?" 

"I don't need another bath." Geralt picked up a towel, bringing it to Jaskier. 

"Who said anything about you bathing once you got in here?" Jaskier gave him a demure look but took the towel and stood to step out of the tub. He took the towel and wrapped it around his shoulders, shivering as he approached the fire to help him dry. 

Geralt hummed, "I don't feel like getting water all over the floor." 

"Is that it?" Jaskier shivered, "make me freeze my ass off, so you don't have to deal with a bit of water?"

"Yes." Geralt smiled at Jaskier as he glowered at Geralt and got closer to the fire. "I think I can make up for it. What do you think?" 

Jaskier's eyes darted down Geralt's body. He wasn't subtle about it either. 

Geralt chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes." 

Jaskier let Geralt step into his space, meeting him halfway when Geralt leaned down to kiss him again. He pressed Jaskier down into his bed, sliding his hand along Jaskier's ribs and curling his nails against his skin. Looking restless, Jaskier pawed at Geralt's shirt, stripping it off in an easy movement as Geralt raised his arms for him. 

Geralt's cupped Jaskier's cock, surprised to find that he was hard already. "You're excited." 

"Do you always have to point that out?" Jaskier's breath hitched, though, his head falling back as Geralt ran his palm over the head of his cock and wrapped his fingers around it. 

"Yes." Geralt said it evenly. "Because it's the only thing that actually flusters you." 

Jaskier's eyes popped open and then rolled back as Geralt started to stroke his cock, losing track of responding to Geralt's quip. Jaskier was more sensitive than he had ever been when they'd fallen into bed, and when Geralt flicked his wrist, Jaskier immediately started to squirm. Usually, it took Geralt a half hour to get Jaskier to this point. Jaskier hadn't been with anyone in a while, and suddenly Geralt wanted to know if Jaskier had waited until he found Geralt again. 

"Geralt." Jaskier's nails ran down Geralt's chest, landing on his belt, carefully starting to pull it open, but Geralt grabbed his hand and pressed it down into the bed. Jaskier gasped softly, his eyes swimming over Geralt's face in confusion, only for the same surprised look to come back as Geralt ran his thumb over the head of his dick. "God, fuck Geralt." 

Geralt leaned down to bite on the nape of Jaskier's neck, relishing in the way it made him twitch in Geralt's hand. He ran his tongue over the bite mark, listening to Jaskier whimper as he tried to buck his hips up into Geralt's hand. 

"How long has it been?" Geralt wanted to know because he didn't want to hurt Jaskier, but there was an element of satisfaction in the way that Jaskier whimpered and tried to dodge the question. 

"Geralt, I swear to the gods if you're going to try to drag this out—" Jaskier quickly devolved into a series of noises unlike anything Geralt had ever heard when Geralt shifted his hand to cup his balls. 

"I'm asking so I don't hurt you." Geralt said and moved both his hands to Jaskier's waist, marveling for a moment that he could easily flip Jaskier onto his stomach without much issue. Jaskier yelped softly, his hands digging into the sheets as Geralt picked up his hips. "I guess I'll just go slowly then." 

"What?" Jaskier tried to gather himself, getting onto his elbows, only for his back to arch down hard when Geralt spread his cheeks and ran his tongue over his hole. "Gods." 

Jaskier moaned loudly enough that Geralt sort of wondered if everyone else in Kaer Morhen heard it. He didn't care if they did, but it did cross his mind briefly. Now that he had Jaskier gripping the sheets and shivering as Geralt carefully worked his tongue inside of him, Geralt only cared about making Jaskier feel good. 

He ran his tongue along the rim of Jaskier's hole, tugging it open gently with his tongue and grabbing the bottle of oil he had at his bedside. Geralt managed to get enough oil onto his fingers to work one in alongside his tongue. Jaskier, in turn, responded with a low, rumbling moan, his chest sinking to the bed. It seemed like Jaskier had lost his ability to speak. In fact, Jaskier's legs were shaking in such a way that Geralt thought he might not be able to hold himself up anymore. 

Geralt let his free hand find the head of Jaskier's already weeping cock, running his fingers through the precum, just teasing for the moment. It earned him a desperate twitch of Jaskier's hips, his voice going up an octave as he finally gave in. 

"Please." Jaskier's voice came out tight, "it's been months, please just fuck me. You're not going to hurt me." 

Geralt hummed, pulling his finger out of Jaskier slowly, pressing his tongue back inside in its place. 

Jaskier shuddered, "Geralt, Geralt,  _ please _ . I haven't since we last. Before we were even in Cintra."

Geralt pulled back a bit, carefully working two fingers inside of Jaskier now. He sort of wanted to keep moving as slowly as possible, but if Geralt was being honest, he wasn't exactly immune to the sounds Jaskier made. He wanted Jaskier as much as Jaskier begged for Geralt. 

"What do you want?" Geralt wanted to hear Jaskier say it, and Geralt didn't care if Jaskier teased him about this later. He knew that Jaskier would. He always pointed out when Geralt acted more invested in bed than he usually did. 

"For you to hurry up and fuck me until I don't know my name anymore." Jaskier actually sounded relatively frustrated, "Is that what you want to hear?" 

Geralt scissored his fingers, feeling Jaskier clench down on them. Honestly, he couldn't resist flipping Jaskier back over so he could look at his face. He pressed his fingers deeper, not bothering to be careful anymore as he curled his fingers against Jaskier's prostate. 

"Don't ask for things you can't handle," Geralt said simply. 

Apparently, Geralt had said the right combination of things because Jaskier promptly responded, "who said I couldn't handle it?" 

Jaskier's eyes shined, his face looked combative in a way that Geralt had never seen, and while he wanted to meet it, Geralt knew better. He'd been with plenty of women and even men who told him the same thing, but when he gave it to them, they didn't like it. 

"I was being serious when I said I didn't want to hurt you." Geralt slipped his fingers out of Jaskier, slipping his hand under Jaskier's knee to shift him further up on the bed. 

"And I was being serious when I said I could handle it." Jaskier looked unshaken, his eyes dark as his hands found Geralt's belt again, tugging his pants open. 

Geralt caught Jaskier's jaw in his hand, just mumbling, "don't bait me." 

"It's not bait." Jaskier ran his fingers up the shaft of Geralt's cock, his eyes still on Geralt's. "You asked what I wanted, and I answered." 

Geralt snapped, getting his off and finding the bottle of oil again. Jaskier looked satisfied with himself. It wasn't smug, just excited, so Geralt didn't feel the need to wipe it off his face. Instead, he got enough oil on himself to press into Jaskier, being careful to make sure the movement was smooth, but he didn't stop until he'd sunk his entire cock into Jaskier. 

Jaskier pawed his hands into Geralt's hair, tugging on it a little bit as he hissed a quiet, "gods, yes."

Geralt hooked a hand under Jaskier's thigh, leaning forward to get a better angle, and forced Jaskier to bend nearly in half. Jaskier didn't seem to care, too focused on trying to find purchase for his hands in the sheets as Geralt rocked his hips forward. He didn't hesitate to quickly set a brutal pace, planting one hand down next to Jaskier's head so he could pull himself forward and bring their hips together a little harder. As much as he'd lost himself to the moment, Geralt made sure not to use all his strength. He earnestly didn't want to hurt Jaskier. 

"Geralt." Jaskier's voice drew him out of his thoughts, his hands cupping either side of Geralt's face. His eyes were suddenly intense, his fingers curling in Geralt's hair. "You won't break me. Harder." 

"Jaskier, I—" Geralt growled when Jaskier tugged on his hair. 

"I need it, please." Jaskier looked like he genuinely believed it. 

Geralt conceded finally, "Promise you'll tell me if you need to stop?" 

"I promise." Jaskier nodded quickly. Geralt was fairly sure this would ruin the moment, but if Jaskier really wanted to know, Geralt would show him. He shifted his weight, his hands finding Jaskier's hips again. Jaskier had never felt delicate in Geralt's grip, but now, as Geralt ran his thumbs over Jaskier's Apollo's belt, Geralt feared he was less sturdy than he seemed.

Geralt still snapped his hips forward, setting a pace he would use with Eskel or Lambert when they were together. He expected Jaskier to scream in pain, but to Geralt's surprise, Jaskier's head dropped back, and he moaned. Jaskier's hands dug into the sheets since Geralt had him in a position where Jaskier couldn't grab Geralt's shoulders. Geralt was far too enthralled with the discovery that, even as he continued to slam his hips into Jaskier's, he didn't seem to be hurt at all.

Jaskier arched his back harder, his legs wrapped around Geralt's waist with his shoulders still down on the bed since Geralt held his hips up. Like this, Geralt could see the way every thrust took Jaskier's breath from him, his cock leaking all over his stomach. He seemed to be enjoying himself like this, but honestly, Geralt didn't want it to be quick. Jaskier might, but he didn't, and he had a feeling that slowing down at this point might be fun. 

He set one hand down next to Jaskier's head, leaning forward so he could change the angle, but he kept one hand supporting Jaskier's hips. Jaskier looked dazed, his eyes barely open as Geralt rocked into him again. The speed was gone. Now Geralt focused on being rough. 

"Gods, Geralt." Jaskier's voice came out a plea again, his arms curling around Geralt's neck and his fingers buried in Geralt's hair. He didn't seem to care that Geralt had slowed down, pulling Geralt in for a kiss.

Despite not getting the reaction Geralt wanted, he at least preferred this to where he had Jaskier before. He kept his movements intense, focusing on the way Jaskier's tongue felt against his own. Geralt squeezed Jaskier's thigh, waiting for him to practically sing Geralt's name to run his fingers down Jaskier's cock. 

He nipped at Jaskier's jaw, listening to him babble desperately as Geralt ran his fingers through the precum gathered at the tip of Jaskier's dick. Geralt looked up at Jaskier's face, watching the way his brows furrowed and his hair stuck to his forehead. Then Geralt wrapped his finger and thumb around the very base of Jaskier's cock. 

Geralt had never seen Jaskier's eyes fling open so fast, his hands gripping Geralt's hair tightly, tugging a little even. "Ah, please, no, I'm so close!"

"I had a feeling." Geralt chuckled softly against Jaskier's cheek and moved his hips to hit Jaskier's prostate more directly. "I'm not done with you yet." 

"You are lucky you are incredibly attractive." Jaskier dropped his head back on the bed with a groan, but his lips curled into a little smile, and he moaned when Geralt hit the right spot. 

Geralt sucked on Jaskier's neck, biting hard enough to earn another louder moan and leave a mark. He kept finding spots he knew would cause Jaskier to yell in desperation, keeping his hand firmly around the base of Jaskier's cock and enjoying every twitch and squirm. Jaskier panted, his nails digging into Geralt's shoulders or pulling at his hair. Eventually, Jaskier was shaking, and his voice started to get hoarse. 

As soon as Jaskier sounded like he might break a vocal cord, Geralt pulled back enough to see Jaskier's face clearly and let go of his cock. He didn't stop moving, though, watching as Jaskier's eyes flew open, and he gasped. His hands scrambled to Geralt's shoulders, Jaskier clinging as he promptly fell over the edge, his cum painting his stomach and his face relaxing in his ecstasy.

"Please, Geralt." Jaskier's voice had gone sweet again, and he really didn't need to ask. Geralt followed him over the edge, slowing down so that they both rode out their high. By the time he pulled out, Jaskier had already pulled him into a tight kiss, dragging Geralt down next to him. 

Geralt let Jaskier pull him in, his hand finding the back of Jaskier's head as he settled down against Geralt. He listened to Jaskier pant, his hair quivering against Geralt's fingers and his warm skin sticking to Jaskier's. 

Though Geralt had to admit, he laid there for a moment, wondering if Jaskier was about to complain that Geralt had hurt him. When no complaint came, and Jaskier lulled between asleep and awake on Geralt's chest, he found himself trying to figure out why. Even Triss probably would have found that to be a bit too much. A Bard and a Mage seem like a fair comparison. So as he looked down on Jaskier's fluttering eyelashes and flushed cheeks, he thought about that light he'd seen gather at Jaskier's back. 

It felt a long time ago now, but he had found it about as strange as this. Geralt didn't know what it meant. Jaskier had never been very detailed about his magic, though. He wasn't sure exactly what being a Bard entailed other than playing songs and using them to do magic. Geralt should maybe ask Triss about this, though it didn't make him trust Jaskier any less. 

Eventually, Geralt started to peel himself away from Jaskier, running his fingers through Jaskier's hair to settle his complaints. 

"I have to hunt if we want to eat." Geralt had promised Eskel and Lambert he'd go out with them that day. Right now, it was already pushing past noon, so he needed to get it together. 

Jaskier groaned, "fine." 

Geralt watched as Jaskier pulled all of the blankets around him and turned over in the bed. 

"I assume that you'll be staying in here with me then?" Geralt asked. 

"Yes." Jaskier turned back to look at him, "it's far too cold up here for me to not be in your bed." 

Geralt rolled his eyes, "all right." 

He didn't really mind after all. Though Jaskier's explanation felt disingenuous, Geralt didn't want to think about that further. Instead he found Lambert and Eskel down in the stables, dealt with their ribbing about Jaskier, and followed them out into the woods to hunt. 

They came back with a large buck and a handful of rabbits which meant they wouldn't have to hunt again for a few days. Geralt helped them clean and store the game before he went looking for Jaskier. 

To his surprise, he found Triss, Jaskier, and Vesemir together, Jaskier speaking animatedly to Triss, but Geralt could tell Vesemir was listening more than he was letting on. Jaskier appeared to be telling some story about a court noble that he and Triss both knew, something about them embarrassing themselves at some formal event. 

It was odd, Jaskier was his usual vibrant self, but for the first time since Geralt had known him, he was wearing relatively muted colors. Geralt guessed that he couldn't find things warm enough in colors he would typically wear. He liked it though, Jaskier had a dark green doublet on and heavy-looking brown pants. It still had nice embroidery on it, but it wasn't nearly as bright as the shiny thing he'd worn to Princess Pavetta's engagement party or the bright green suit he'd had when Geralt first met him. 

Now, as he watched Jaskier making gestures at Triss and talking about some man he'd locked out on a balcony without his clothes, Geralt couldn't help but think of how nicely this suited him. Sometimes he wondered if Jaskier felt the need to peacock the way he did because he feared he was too plain for his own personality. But Geralt knew better than that, and Jaskier wouldn't have so many nobles pawing at him if he was as plain as he thought. Then again, most of this was conjecture, even if Geralt felt reasonably confident about it.

Vesemir saw him first, trying to hide the humor he was finding in Jaskier's story, as he waved Geralt over. He set the book he was holding down, asking about the hunt and getting Geralt to sit down in the chair next to him. Jaskier and Triss still seemed absorbed in trading stories about either cuckolding court nobles or embarrassing them publicly. They both apparently had a penchant for that, Geralt hadn't realized until then. 

"Have you reviewed your monsters recently?" Vesemir asked, holding up the book he'd been pretending to read. 

"It's been a while," Geralt said, "I think I've got most memorized still. Why?" 

"Just wondering." Vesemir shifted in his seat and offered Geralt the book, open to a specific page. Geralt raised a brow at him, letting the book fall open. 

"Are you concerned about fairies?" Geralt looked over the page at the drawings of the little winged people. 

Vesemir chuckled, "no, it wasn't open to a particular page. I just thought I'd remind you of your schooling."

Geralt hummed, reading over the entry on fairies and turning a few pages to the entry on fae. When he closed the book, Vesemir's eyes were still on him. 

"You should reread our books more often." Vesemir leveled his eyes on a particular book on the shelf. It was enough for Geralt to get the message. He reached over and picked up the book, flipping it open as he looked at Vesemir.

The book, to Geralt's surprise, was actually about Witchers, not monsters. He read over the first page of the introduction, and Geralt promptly found himself sucked into it. It discussed the pack bonding in Witchers, something Geralt had never even heard of, though he was confident he'd read nearly every book in the library at Kaer Morhen. However, it intrigued him mostly because it described a kind of sickness that was only fixed by the Witchers of the wolf school spending time with their "pack," which usually formed during the trials. 

He was starting to get the feeling that Vesemir was implying something with this one, but the old man had fallen asleep on him. That or he was pretending to sleep. Either way, Geralt wasn't going to ask him about it. 

It had him thinking, though. He felt better than he had. Usually, as he spent time in Kaer Morhen with Eskel, Lambert, and Vesemir, he started to feel stronger, but that didn't happen this time. He felt better that day, though there was only one thing different, and he wasn't sure he wanted to acknowledge it. He still finished the first chapter and took the book with him back to his room. 

Jaskier had obviously moved things around a little, though it mostly looked like he'd tidied up and didn't make it so Geralt couldn't find the things he needed. He set the book down on the table by his bed and put a few more logs on the fire. Once he had, Geralt settled himself on the soft fur rug next to it, closing his eyes so he could meditate for a while. 

He wasn't sure how long it had been when he heard Jaskier come in, but he could smell food which meant that Eskel had cooked. Jaskier didn't say much. He had learned that leaving Geralt alone when he meditated was the best choice. 

"One of the other witchers asked me to make sure you ate." Jaskier only spoke after Geralt had opened his eyes. 

"Eskel?" Geralt stood and walked over to take one of the plates that Jaskier had set on the table. 

"The one that still has hair that wasn't trying to break my arm this morning." Jaskier sounded annoyed as he collected his own plate and went to Geralt's armchair next to the fire. Geralt settled himself on the bench across from Jaskier, looking at the fire. 

"Yes, that's Eskel." Geralt set his plate next to him on the bench, just picking up bits of meat that he could gnaw off the bone. Eskel wasn't the best cook. "Are you planning to stay here for the rest of the winter?" 

"Absolutely nothing could convince me to trudge through the snow for weeks on end again, so yes." Jaskier yawned, shaking his head. "I hadn't realized how tired I was until I came back up here." 

"You did just get in this morning." Geralt sucked the marrow from one of the venison bones. "Are you feeling alright after earlier?" 

Geralt asked it more out of curiosity, and he braced himself for Jaskier to tell Geralt that he'd accidentally hurt his back or his pelvis. Jaskier looked up at him, confused, and nodded.

"I am." Jaskier gave Geralt a concerned look, "I'd be sort of an arse to beg you like that only to complain about what I got. And I certainly wouldn't complain about any of it." 

Geralt couldn't help the way he snorted at the lilt in Jaskier's voice and the slight smirk on his face. Honestly, he'd sort of missed this somehow, though he would never admit to it. 

"I just wanted to be sure." Geralt tossed one of his finished bones into the fire and found his brain drifting back to that book Vesemir gave him. Though it didn't explain a human being able to handle something like that, and this didn't shake his ability to trust Jaskier, it did have Geralt wondering about his and Jaskier's relationship. If Jaskier had anything hidden from Geralt, he had the feeling that it wasn't something he told anyone, although it was hard to say whether Jaskier was as truly open with Geralt as Geralt felt he was. After all, not many people wanted to talk to Geralt, so what Jaskier had shared with Geralt could just seem like a lot in comparison. 

"You're thinking rather loudly over there." Jaskier's voice was soft as he pulled apart meat with his fingers rather than gnawing at it as Geralt did. "Are you all right?" 

"I'm fine." Geralt put another bone in his mouth to suck out the marrow and looked to Jaskier briefly. Jaskier looked sort of pensive, but that wasn't unusual for him when he was tired. 

"I'll take your word for it." Jaskier then looked at the fire and chewed on his lip, "can you teach me something while we're up here?" 

Geralt titled his head at Jaskier. He had never asked anything like that before. "What did you have in mind?" 

"Could you teach me to use a sword?" Jaskier tossed a bone into the fire and looked at Geralt again. 

"You couldn't use a sword like I do." Geralt said, and he sort of relished in the humor of the baleful look he got in response for a moment. "I mean, you would need something lighter that relies more on your speed and finesse." 

"Oh." Jaskier seemed to contemplate that for a moment, and Geralt was fairly certain that Jaskier looked flustered for a moment. "So it's not something you could teach me?" 

Geralt thought it over for a moment, "I could teach you the basics. You'd be better off learning the rest from Lambert." 

Jaskier grimaced and mumbled, "maybe you could teach me the basics, and I could find a teacher when we are back in civilization." 

"I assure you Lambert would be a better teacher." Geralt laughed, though, "even if he is an ass, he's not particularly vindictive." 

"I beg to differ." Jaskier sighed and tossed another bone into the fire, eating the meat he'd pulled off it slowly.

"If you really hate the idea of asking Lambert," Geralt says, "Eskel would be a good choice too." 

Jaskier sighed, "I might be willing to ignore what happened this morning if I come to know Lambert and Eskel better." 

Geralt nodded. He knew that many Witchers made terrible first impressions. Though, he had to admit he found it humorous that Jaskier, who was so willing to walk up and bother Geralt, would now be holding a strong grudge against Eskel and Lambert. Geralt could understand since Jaskier does rely on his hands and arms to work, but also people found so many reasons to hate Witchers without ever knowing them. Jaskier seemed only to dislike them when they had personally harmed him. 

They ate quietly for a while longer, one of them occasionally throwing a bone or scrap of fat into the fire until Geralt realized Jaskier had fallen asleep leaning against the wingback of the chair he was in. Geralt took his plate from him, setting both on the table before gathering Jaskier up in his arms. Jaskier clung to him like a kitten, so Geralt just put him on the bed and got his boots off. At which point, Jaskier curled into a ball with one of the pillows in his arms. 

Geralt watched him for a moment and then went to get them fresh water for the morning before he joined Jaskier in bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm alive! Barely....
> 
> Sorry for the wait!!

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to the Witcher Fic Writers group chat on Twitter for helping me with the title on this <3 
> 
> Follow me on Twitter or Pillowfort for more: @Galaxiebot


End file.
